A bullet and blood breeds love
by Ranowa Hikura
Summary: A LONG oneshot. A courthouse shooting injuries all your favorite detectives and ADA. CO- but it's me, so why'd you even ask? Disclaimer: I own nothing


Okay, people. I decided to FINALLY get around to writing that Kaleido Star sequel I promised, oh, I don't know... three months ago? And my friend asked for a House fic for her birthday, so, I'm afraid I must say goodbye to world of SVU fanfiction.. for a while. So I write one last Casey/Olivia fic for the sake my restless plot bunnies and my loyal reviewers, and then its adios- for now, of course. Anyway, onto the fic.

Spoilers for 'Raw', but since I change almost everything that happened anyway, I don't think that matters. You know me, so you know that eventually Casey and Olivia will be at it like bunnies, so what else do you need to know?

Casey doodled on her legal pad as the defendant sauntered back to his seat. Honestly, she didn't know why the defense had bothered trying to fight the charges. The jury would have to be crazier than squirrels in a field full of nuts not to convict.

She blinked at the, truth to be told, horrible analogy she had just made, then shook her head. _I've really been spending too much time talking to Arthur Branch. Gotta stop that. _Casey hid a yawn and would of nodded off to sleep right then and there if not for what happened next.

There was a sharp crack followed by a chorus of screams, and Casey looked up in pure shock, her eyes drawn immediately to the defendant's gun. She froze, unable to move as he rushed across the room, shooting all the way. It finally occurred to Casey to move and she threw herself out of his way as Olivia shouted, "Police! Freeze!"

Kyle landed on the floor next to her as he ducked out of the way from the cop's gunfire. Casey scurried back from him, but he noticed her then and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and yanked her to her feet, using the ADA as a human shield and fixing the gun at her head.

"Let her go, Ackerman!" Elliot shouted, his gun fixated on Casey. His voice seemed too loud, too close, to Casey. It hurt her ears and Olivia's higher voice made her wince.

"You won't get out of this alive!"

His grip on Casey's throat tightened, and she groaned, trying to suck in a breath of air but finding it impossible. All she was focused on was the gun at the base of her skull, the cold metal pressing into her skin... all he had to do was exert the strength to move one tiny muscle and it would all be over. "Put down your gun or I'll kill her!" Kyle practically screamed into her ear.

She saw the flash of fear in Olivia's eyes as the detective took another step forward, four guns all pointed at her head. "We can talk this out, Kyle, nice and easy. Just let Ms. Novak go, now."

He hesitated, and then suddenly the pressure was gone from her head as he open fired on the detectives. Within seconds, every single person left in that court room had a bullet hole somewhere or another in them- Ackerman in the head, Munch in the ass, Elliot in the arm, Olivia in her calf, and Casey in the chest.

Olivia hesitantly poked her head out from behind the bench when the gunfire stopped. Star had somehow found her way into this mess, and she looked around in horror at the bodies all lying on the floor, each with slow pools of blood spreading underneath them. "Star Morrison, FBI," she explained as she looked Olivia over. "You hit?"

It took the detective a second to realize that yes, she was. But there was no pain, not yet- just shock. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine," she said as she pulled herself upright and looked around in a panic. "Where's Elliot?"

Star spied him in the corner and rushed over, calling over her shoulder, "I got him, go check out your ADA!"

Olivia froze, then slowly turned to the front of the room in horror.

Casey was lying under Ackerman, pale as death and moaning softly. She wasn't moving.

"Casey!" Olivia shouted, dashing forward and heaving Ackerman off the ADA's body. Her chest was already soaked in blood from a wound in her left side, and it was still rushing out in an alarming amount.

"Olivia," she wheezed weakly, her eyes fluttering open as she coughed up blood.

"Don't try to talk, sweetie," she gasped, putting pressure over her wound. "Just lay still for me." Casey tried to say something again, her mouth filling with blood in the attempt. "Stay with me, baby, stay with me."

Casey choked, trying to pull in a pained breath but failing. "_Star_!" Olivia screamed, trying desperately to keep the ADA alive. "_Hurry_!" To Casey, she gasped, "Come on, Case, just stay awake a little while longer for me, sweetie, you're gonna be fine. I promise."

She tried to talk again, the chords in her neck straining as the redhead struggled to force out coherent sounds through the blood. Eventually, she managed, "Sorry," before lying her head back on the floor and giving up.

Olivia dimly heard Star calling 911 behind her and continued to put pressure on Casey's wound as she told her, "Try to conserve your strength, Casey. Star's calling an ambulance right now and I'm gonna take care of you until then."

"Stay... with..."Casey coughed weakly, spraying Olivia with blood, and the detective shook her head frantically, telling the stubborn ADA to stop talking.

"Of course I'll stay with you, Casey! I'm not gonna leave your side."

"Prom...ise?"

"I promise, Casey!" The ADA fell silent, then, but Olivia could see she was rapidly losing the struggle to stay conscious. She continued to talk her to her in a desperate attempt to keep her awake. "Come on, Case. I can hear the sirens now. They're really close. You're so close to being saved, don't give up on me now!"

Just as the EMTS rushed into the courtroom, Casey's eyes slid closed. She did not regain consciousness.

"Casey!" she shouted frantically, trying to wake her up. "_Casey_!"

SVUSVUSVU

That day, six ambulances zoomed away from the courthouse, one with two gunshot victims in it. They left behind a body back and eight pools of blood.

SVUSVUSVU

"Agent Morrison!" Cragen shouted when he ran into the ER. "What the hell is going on?"

Star shook her head sadly, clearly tense. "There was a shooting in the courtroom. Four casualties- the judge, bailiff, witness, and Kyle, the shooter. Four others were shot- Detectives Stabler, Benson, Munch, and ADA Novak."

Cragen passed a hand over his eyes, a sudden anxiety making his blood run cold. "How are they?"

"They're all in the ER, so I don't know anything recent, but Stabler was shot in the arm, Benson in the leg, Munch in the ass... and Novak's critical. Kyle was holding her hostage and the bullet went straight through her left lung into his heart. She lost consciousness at the scene; Olivia wouldn't let go of her hand, so the EMTs had to take her and Casey in the same ambulance."

He swallowed hard, struggling to regain control. "Her chances?"

Star looked away and shook her head. "Not good."

Just then, Olivia limped into the waiting room, walking on a pair of crutches with her lower right leg wrapped in bandages. "Captain!" she shouted, rushing over to them as fast as possible.

"Olivia! Liv, are you okay?" he demanded, looking her up and down carefully, searching for any sign that she might not be well.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I was just released- the doctor was very optimistic about Elliot and John, but she wouldn't say a word about Casey, all I saw was her being intubated and rushed into the OR-"

"Olivia, calm down! That's an order," he said sharply, grabbing her by the shoulders and looking his frantic detective in the eye. "From what you've told me, Elliot and Munch will most certainly survive. And Casey... well, think about it, Liv! She's _Casey_! Do you honestly think she would let a bastard like Kyle end her life?"

"I don't think she has much of a choice here, Captain!"

"You remember what the doctors said after Zergin attacked her last year, Liv? He said she was damn near killed that night, that only luck and sheer force of will could have kept her alive."

"This is different! Cragen, that bullet ripped through her chest, punched two holes in her lung, and went out her back! She's not even breathing on her own right now! What kind of a chance does she stand, Captain?"

"At least she-"

"Um, I'm looking for the Stabler, Munch, and Novak families?" a doctor called. Olivia and Cragen stopped their argument immediately and dashed over to him, Star trailing behind.

He gave them a small smile, then said, "Detectives Stabler and Munch are both going to be fine. Just flesh wounds. They can go home tomorrow. As for ADA Novak, she's still in surgery. They're trying to repair the holes in her lung. She lost alot of blood, and we had to put her in a chemically induced coma to keep her stable.

"Unfortunately, none of this matters if she doesn't make it through surgery. She has a fifty percent chance of survival from the surgery itself and, if she lives, there's still only a seventy-five percent chance of survival and a thirty percent chance that she won't wake up. But we'll cross that bridge if and when we get to it. Surgery could still last another six hours or more. I'm sorry I don't have better news..."

Olivia sank to the ground, holding her head in her hands. This couldn't be happening. At least when she'd been attacked by Zergin, Casey'd had a chance. This doctor was basically telling them that Casey was going to die and there was nothing he or anybody else could do about it.

SVUSVUSVU

The time passed slowly, so slowly it was unbearable. Word came back on Elliot and Munch in that time- they were both still in recovery, so no one could see them yet, but Kathy and Fin both promised to take them home tomorrow. But all they knew about Casey was the fact she was still in surgery. If she had died, someone would have told them... right?

Olivia had fallen into a restless sleep some time ago, an affect of the hospital's painkillers. No one was going to wake her up unless they got news on Casey and it was good.

It had been seven hours when a doctor finally came out and greeted them. "Detectives," he began, "your ADA has the heart of a bull and a will to live rivaling Al-Qaeda's. We lost her four times, and each time we brought her back. However, she's still not out of the woods yet. Ms. Novak still has to battle a seventy-five percent chance of survival and a thirty percent chance that she won't wake up. She is not breathing on her own as of yet, so we've intubated her, and she's still in the ICU. Are you family?"

Cragen hesitated, then nodded. Having been abandoned or abused by their biological families, the squad was as close-knit as an actual family. Besides, he was pretty sure Casey would rather wake up to Olivia or Elliot sitting by her bedside then her father, who'd skipped out when she was born, or her mother, who had loved her job as a librarian more than she'd loved her only child.

"Then you can see her, but only two at a time and only three hours per day. Walk with me." He gestured for the detectives to follow. "now, if her hands twitch or you see REM, don't get too excited; they're common in coma patients and it doesn't mean she's waking up."

Fin had nearly forgotten about Olivia, who was still fast asleep in the ER's waiting room. With a sigh, he walked over and shook her awake. "Liv. Liv, get up."

She jerked upright, then looked around in shock, her eyes focusing in on the detective in front of her. "Fin! Wha- what's going on? What'd I miss?"

"Calm down. Elliot and Munch are going to be fine and Casey just came out of surgery. She's alive... for now, at least. They've intubated her and put her in the ICU- if anybody asks, we're her family. Come on." Olivia got unsteadily to her feet and limped after Fin. The doctor was talking to Cragen, and by the expressions on his face, it wasn't good news.

When they finally reached Casey's room, the doctor reminded them to the two visitors at a time and for only three hours rule, then left.

They all hesitated, then Cragen said, "Olivia, you're closest to her. You can stay with her all three hours, if you want. Fin, you go ahead too, then you can go find Munch. Liv, I'll tell you when you can see Elliot."

Olivia paused, then nodded her thanks and stepped slowly into the ICU, Fin on her tail.

Casey was lying flat on her back, absolutely motionless. Olivia swore she was paler than she had ever seen her, and all the medical machines known to human kind were attached to her- wires and sensors to monitor her heart rate, oxygen levels, and brain activity, an IV pumping blood and god knows what else into her veins, a tube stuck into her throat, the only thing keeping her breathing.

"My god," she whispered, walking hesitantly forward until she stood next to Casey. She heard Fin follow, but he didn't say anything. She just waited behind, also staring at the ADA in shock. "Casey..."

It wasn't until that moment of truly seeing Casey so weak and utterly dependent on machines to keep her alive that Olivia finally realized that Casey might not live to see tomorrow. That she was lucky to have lasted this far; every day her heart kept beating simply prolonged the inevitable. The human body just wasn't built to go to the brink of death and back again. Olivia thought, with horrifying clarity, _Casey's going to die_.

SVUSVUSVU

Three days.

72 hours.

4,320 minutes.

259, 200 seconds.

However you want to put it, really. Three days was still three days and that's how much time had passed since Casey had been shot. Since Olivia had seen those eyes, that smile, heard that laugh, chuckled at the bright sparkle in her green eyes that appeared whenever she was happy.

Elliot and Munch had both already been released, but there hadn't been one change in Casey's condition. She was still in the ICU, she still wasn't breathing, and she still wouldn't- or couldn't- open her eyes.

The doctor was now certain Casey would survive, but as the days passed and Casey showed no sign of slipping from her coma, it became more and more likely that Olivia would never see her friend truly alive again.

With a sigh, she took Casey's lifeless hand tenderly into her own, unable to suppress a spark of hope when it trembled slightly. Despite the doctor's conitinued assurances that they truly meant nothing and had no correlation with the timeline of her recovery whatsoever, to Olivia, they were a sigh that, no matter how unlikely it seemed, Casey _was_ still in there somewhere and she was fighting to wake up.

"Casey," she murmured over the beeping of the machines, "It's Olivia. I don't know if you can hear me, but I need you to wake up. Against all odds, you survived, and you're doing great, but none of that matters if you don't wake up. Please, Casey. If not for yourself, then for me, and Elliot, and the rest of SVU. We miss you, Casey, and we want you back. Just... please, I know you're in there somewhere. I know you're not gone yet. Whenever you're ready to come back, I'll be right here waiting."

_Casey,_ she prayed silently, _please. Come back to me. Why won't you come back?_

SVUSVUSVU

Casey gave a long sigh and closed her eyes, laying her head on her knees. "You know, closing your eyes doesn't mean you'll disappear."

She cracked one eye open to look at her mother. "I never dreamed of you before. What's different now?"

"This isn't a dream, Casey. Until you decide differently, this is your reality."

"Isn't that all a dream is?"

Diana chuckled softly. "Casey, don't be difficult. Being difficult with your guardian angel is rather stupid, you know."

Casey gave Diana a pained look. "Mother..."

"Oh, so it's Mother now, is it? Case, I know you don't like hearing this, but I really don't exist. I never did. You just created me when you were younger so it was easier to live. So it didn't hurt quite so much."

"True as that may be, you're still my mother. I know you just got through saying you didn't exist then and you don't exist now, which may be true, but you're still real to me. The fact that I'm alive is proof of that."

With a groan, Diana walked over and sat down next to her. "Casey, you know I love you no matter what, but what you're doing right now is very stupid. You have a family waiting for you to wake up. When you were younger, all you had was me. Why won't you wake up now?"

She shrugged innocently. "I don't know."

"Casey."

"Well, you know why." Diana gave her a look that told Casey to stop avoiding the truth and just say it. "Mom, there aren't any rapists or killers here. Just me. No children with broken hearts, no young women who's lives have been changed forever- just me. And now you."

"Yes. Just us. But, Casey, there are children- children exactly like the one you once were- who need you. And those children are out there. Not in here."

"They can find someone else."

"Someone else won't be you. They need _you_, Casey. Not someone else. _You!_"

"Name one person who needs me, damn it!"

"Me." Casey jumped at the sound of another voice in her dream. Olivia was standing in front of her, tears marking her saddened face. Diana got up to stand beside her as she continued, "I do, Casey. I need you to come back. I need you to wake up. We all do."

"Olivia..." Casey trailed off, stunned, staring at the detective in shock.

"Casey, we're your family. Me, Elliot, Munch, Fin, Cragen, Melinda, Huang. We're your family and we need you to wake up."

Diana's expression said 'I told you so,' pretty clearly, but Diana herself said it anyway. "I'm not the one only who needs you anymore, Casey. They need you. Now, _wake up_."

Casey stood uncertainly as Olivia disappeared and a fierce wind began blowing through her hair. "Wa- wait! Mom!" she called out as her world began to grow hazy. "When will I see you again?"

"Whenever you need me."

SVUSVUSVU

Olivia gasped in shock and joyous realization when Casey's eyes flashed open. She just sat there and stared at through her own exhaustion and pain in open-mouthed amazement. The redhead's eyes found her's, and she tried to say something, but was stopped by the tube in her throat.

Suddenly, Olivia found herself in a fierce battle to keep Casey from ripping out the tube, even as the ADA coughed and gagged in a struggle to talk and clear her throat. "_Casey_!" she gasped. "Stop! Stop, please!"

When her pleas had no affect on the ADA, she shouted, "Elliot! El, get her doctor, _now_!" As Elliot hurried from the room, Olivia gripped Casey's wrists and forced them down onto the mattress, unable to stop the thrashing redhead. "Calm down, Casey, please! It's okay! That's just a tube to help you breathe, that's all, I promise! I need you to stay still for me, please! Don't fight it, Case, a doctor's going to be right here, and he'll get it out, but you can't pull it out yourself, Casey!"

A moment passed in silence except for the screeching alarms on the machines, then Casey's tired body stopped fighting her and she slowly relaxed, her eyes still wide with fear.

"Good girl, Case," Olivia said softly, stroking her hand. "Just sit tight for me. Elliot's gonna be right back, I promise... welcome back, Casey." Olivia leaned over and kissed her cheek gently, smiling brightly when she felt Casey's hand pull at her shirt. She leaned back and felt another surge of happiness when she looked into those emerald green orbs again- finally, she could smile at Casey and see her smiling back. "What's wrong, Case?"

Casey's hand moved to where it looked like she was gripping an imaginary pen. "You want to write a question?" Casey nodded, so Olivia slid a pad of paper under her hand and helped form her fingers around the pen.

_What happened,_' she scribbled weakly, her hand trembling slightly.

"You don't remember?" Casey shook her head, and Olivia hesitated before asking, "Did you remember being in court?" Casey gave another nod, so she continued, "Well, Kyle flipped out and took you hostage. In the following shootout, I was hit in the leg, El in the arm, Munch in the ass..." she trailed off with a smile, then continued, now somber. "And you were hit in the chest. Everybody's alive, although you gave us quite a scare, Counselor. The doctors weren't sure you were make it for a couple days, but we knew you would pull through. After all, when have you ever given up?"

Casey smiled faintly, then the doctor returned, with Elliot trailing behind him. The ADA tugged weakly at the tube in her mouth. The doctor shook his head and smiled slightly. "No, not yet, Ms. Novak. Maybe in a week."

Casey's eyes widened in anger and surprise, and Olivia chuckled. "She wants to know why it can't come out yet- right, Casey?" The ADA nodded, clearly surprised at Olivia's accurate guess, then paid attention to the doctor.

He explained, "The bullet went straight through her lung. We need to make sure the wound's healed enough before we risk taking the tube out. Sorry, you'll just have to let the doctors play, 'Pin the tail on the Patient' a little while longer." Elliot, Olivia, and Casey all stared at him, and he groaned, passing a hand over his eyes. "I apologize, I just spent three hours on the phone with my mother. She's seventy and makes very bad jokes."

Shaking her head at the doctor's horrible bedside manner, Olivia put her hand on Casey's shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly, and the doctor apologized again before saying, "Now, since Ms. Novak is still in the ICU, visiting hours are limited. Detectives, you can see her tomorrow."

Elliot winked at the ADA and said, "Keep yourself out of trouble, kid. We'll see you tomorrow."

After he left, Olivia kissed her cheek and murmured in her ear, "Stay safe, baby. You know we love ya and you'd better not get yourself shot again." It was faint, but Casey tried to smile. Olivia squeezed her hand and left.

Once both detectives had left, the doctor proceeded to evaluate the ADA's neurological functions for over an hour, via extensive use of whiteboards. Finally, the doctor told her she was in the clear and left her alone. Minutes later, she was asleep.

~Four days later~

Olivia strolled into the ADA's hospital room late Saturday night and smiled at her. "Hey, you," she said as she sat down in the visitor's chair. Casey just watched her silently, unable to speak due to the tube in her mouth. "So, the doctor tell you when you'll be able to be a pain in our asses again?"

Casey glared at her, then scribbled something on the notepad and gestured for Olivia to read it. The detective leaned forward to read it, then smiled widely. "Tomorrow? Really? That's great! What about when you'll be discharged and kicking ass in the courtroom?" Casey just shrugged uncertainly, and Olivia nodded. "Yeah, I thought as much. Well, anyways, I thought you might find this amusing- Munch has been promoted. To _Seargant_."

The ADA made a choking sound that Olivia recognized as laughter. "Yeah, I know! We were all surprised. So, now Cragen's been suspended and _Munch_ is taking over for a week." Casey's eyes widened in shock, and Olivia nodded in understanding. "Yeah, you'll probably come back to the charred remains of what was once SVU, but is now the How Not to Make Coffee Instruction Manuel. So, anyways-"

"Good eve- of, hello, Detective Benson." Olivia smiled slightly at Casey's doctor, then nodded when he said, "I need to run some more tests on Ms. Novak, just to make sure she's actually ready to breathe on her own. You can come and visit her tomorrow."

Olivia squeezed Casey's hand comfortingly, then got to her feet and said, "See you tomorrow, Case. You'd better have some Novak-esque comments ready for me." Casey rolled her eyes and gave her a weak thumbs, then Olivia left.

~The next day~

Olivia was about to leave to go see Casey when her desk phone started ringing. She sighed, then answered it. "Detective Benson, Special Victims Unit."

"Oh, so formal with your best friend!" a hoarse, yet familiar voice said on the other line. "Well well, _Detective_, I'm hurt. I thought we were on first name basis here!"

Olivia blinked, then sat further upright in her chair and asked, "Is that who I think it is?"

"You don't know who your best friend is? Or you keeping best friends on the side, is that what you're doing? Well, fine, then, I want a divorce. And I'm a lawyer, so I'll get the money, the house, the car, and the kids."

Olivia smiled brightly, shaking her head before putting it on speaker. "You're on speaker. El, Munch, and Fin are here too."

The other detectives looked at her in confusion, then smiled as well when Casey said, "Hey, guys."

Everyone looked at each other in shock. "Casey?" Elliot asked, just to confirm.

"Ugh, I'm really hurt now. None of you guys know what your supposed 'best friend' sounds like! Jeez. If I didn't know better, I'd say you forgot I ever existed," Casey said, feigning hurt.

They all crowded around Olivia's desk excitably as Munch exclaimed, "Damn, girl! What happened? Two days ago you were all, 'I can't talk, there's a tube in my throat!' Now..."

"Well, I finally convinced that stupid doctor to at least let me _try_ to breathe on my own. And since I'm not dead, I can clearly breathe fine. Now that my throat's just a little sore, I'm back to being a pain in your asses again."

"That's great, Casey!" Fin said, taking a huge bite of his donut before asking, "Mmy mm goof shu?"

Casey laughed uncertainly, then asked, "Um... what was that?"

"That was Fin," Olivia explained with a chuckle. "He tried to talk through his donut. I think he was asking when you'll be able to come home. Either that, or if would have sex with his pet gibbon, so I'm going with the first one."

"Oh, you witty one, you," Casey chuckled as Fin slapped playfully at Olivia. "Anyways, well, now that I'm finally breathing on my own again, the doctor's being alot more optimistic, though he still won't give me an exact date. But probably sometime next week."

"Oh, that's good! Your temps really suck, Casey. And none of them like me."

"Who said I liked you, Munch?"

"And now my heart is broken."

Casey laughed, rolling her eyes. "Of course I like you, Munch! Why wouldn't I like the only guy who constantly brings me coffee and yummy bagels in the morning?"

"Hey!" Olivia exclaimed. "You bring Casey free food? What about me? Why don't I get coffee and free food in the mornings?"

"Well, because Casey is younger, a redhead, and won't bite me if I forget to put cream in her coffee."

Casey groaned, shaking her head. "Jesus, Munch, you've just got to dig yourself a deeper grave, don't you?"

They heard another voice in the background, then Casey groan and sigh. "Case?" Olivia asked after a moment. "What's wrong?"

"I have to go get another god damn chest X-Ray. Talk with you guys later?"

"Sure," Olivia said. "I'll try and stop by later today or tomorrow, all right?"

"Okay. Bye, you guys."

SVUSVUSVU

"Mmm... oh, god, that's good." Casey took another sip, than reluctantly handed the coffee cup back to Elliot. "I miss coffee," she said with a sigh.

Elliot chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't worry, you'll be back to work soon enough. And we all know how your office is home to enough Starbucks cups to-"

"Quit it, you're just making me miss coffee more!" Casey exclaimed, then crossed her arms and groaned as the IV pulled at her hand painfully. "Damn it, I am so tired of this. This whole hospital thing is just plain ridiculous. And don't even get me started on the damn hospital gown."

Elliot laughed, shaking his head. "Aww, I think it makes you look _adorable_."

Casey's eyes widened, then she glared at him and snapped, "You'd better take that back!"

"What? I only said you looked adorable."

"But I'm a lawyer, for God's sakes! We're not supposed to be adorable, damn it, we're supposed to be intimidating!"

Elliot just nudged her foot with a smirk and said, "Nope, I'm not seeing it. Adorable."

"I am not!" she snapped, crossing her arms again and continuing to glare at him.

"Are so."

"Am not!"

"Are so!"

"Ugh!" Casey threw her hands up in the air furiously. "Fine, Elliot! I give up! You win!"

He smiled satisfactorily and said, "Adorable," one more time to prove his point, then continued, "So, you know when they're letting you go home yet?"

Casey sighed, shaking her head unhappily. "Sometime in the next three days, but-"

"Really? That's great!"

"_But_," she continued with a smirk, "I'm not allowed back at work for another month, at least. I mean, not that I'm not eager to get out of here, but I'd rather feel like crap at work then sit on my ass and do nothing for the next couple of weeks."

Elliot shrugged, patting her on the shoulder gently. "Well, we miss you down there. SVU is already falling apart without someone who's used to prosecuting sex crimes. And Olivia has been _really_ moping around since the shooting. Don't tell her I said that."

Casey blinked, surprised. "Really?" she asked after a moment. "Olivia? Olivia _Benson_?"

Elliot rolled his eyes and said, "No, Olivia the dancing gummy bear. Yes, Olivia Benson!" Casey glared at him, then shook her head and ran a hand through her hair, unsure of what to make of it. Olivia really was just a friend- her best friend, maybe, but still, the shooting had been almost a month and a half ago. Surely Olivia had gotten used to working without her normal ADA by now, especially since it wasn't permanent...

SVUSVUSVU

"Olivia? What are you doing here?"

The detective looked down at the redhead and smiled. "Come on, you didn't think I was going to abandon you to take a cab home, did you?" Casey grinned as she got to her feet, shrugging.

"Well, I just didn't really know what to expect, I mean..." Casey trailed off, then hurriedly changed the subject as Olivia led her outside of the hospital room. "Well, if you're going to take me home, you might as well just stay over. It's getting pretty late, and I can tell you haven't slept in... what, a month?"

Olivia chuckled, rolling her eyes. "A day, but thanks for noticing. And yeah, I guess I could stay the night. Your apartment is always in better shape than mine anyway." She didn't bother mentioning the surprise she and the other detectives had in store for Casey- the ADA would find out soon enough.

SVUSVUSVU

Casey stared around her apartment, which had surprisingly not fallen apart in her absence. Far from it. Well, unless you could call, food, drinks, a 'welcome home' banner, and four smiling detectives 'falling apart'. "Aw, you guys," she said, still staring around in shock. "You didn't have to do this."

"Well, that's too bad, we did it anyway," Munch said. "Truthfully, it's been a slow couple of weeks at work and we really needed something to do. So enjoy it while it lasts, baby." Casey laughed again, shaking her head.

She was still pretty tired and really just wanted to curl up in her own damn bed and go to sleep, but first she had to pretend to enjoy the party. And it really wasn't that hard, but, despite the fierce headache that made her want to roll over and die, it wasn't that bad of a party. But apparently, the detectives could sense her exhaustion, because they didn't stay for too long. Soon, they were filing out her door, telling her things like 'get well soon' or 'hope to see you back soon, Novak'.

Once they were all gone, Olivia took one look at Casey and could tell she had a headache. "Aspirin?" she offered softly and Casey blinked, surprised, then nodded. "Okay, I'll get some. And you, Missy, you go back to your bedroom and get ready for bed."

Casey grinned in spite of herself and started to say, "Liv-"

"No protests, Casey. Go!" Olivia ordered playfully, pointing her back towards her bedroom. Casey tossed her a smile over her shoulder before following her instructions, still chuckling softly under her breath.

SVUSVUSVU

"Oliviaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Casey complained, glaring at the detective. "Take them off! Now!"

"Nope! Not until you promise, Casey!" The ADA shook her head again, still furious.

After Casey's release from the hospital three weeks previously, Olivia had stayed almost every night at her place, making sure she was okay to stay by herself. Casey had protested at first, but once it became clear the detective wasn't going away, Casey had finally given in and just let Olivia and her over-protective instincts run wild. But this was new step was just insane. "Olivia!" she demanded. "If you don't take these off right now, I'm going to have you arrested for unlawful detainment! I'm a lawyer, you know I will!"

"Don't pull the lawyer card on me, Casey, you can't- I'm just protecting you from yourself."

Casey groaned, pulling at the handcuffs again. "Olivia! Come _on_!" The detective just shook her head. After driving back Casey back home from the ER- the ADA had somehow managed to rip her stitches out- Olivia had handcuffed her to the couch so she wouldn't manage to rip her stitches out or something similar again. Casey had spent the last half hour trying to make Olivia set her loose. "Fine, Liv- I promise I won't try and do anything physically exerting- aka, anything fun- until my stitches are removed. Okay, happy now?"

Olivia hesitated, then nodded. "Yes, very. Fine, fine, I'll take the handcuffs off." Olivia leaned over Casey's body to unlock the handcuffs, trying to ignore the heat radiating from the ADA, how soft and smooth her skin was, the silky red tresses of her hair...

Casey leaned in as Olivia stretched over her, breathing in her scent- all leather. _Of course_. She smiled slightly, and once her hands were free they moved onto Olivia's body of their own accord. Olivia smiled slightly as she lowered herself onto Casey's body and wrapped an arm around her neck. They were just so close, and it seemed right...

After they kissed for nearly ten seconds, the two pulled apart, shocked. "Casey... Casey, wait. We can't do this now," Olivia said, shaking her head as she got to her feet and took another step back from the ADA.

"Think about this- I think we have to do a lot more than that, Olivia, we're not even dating and we just…!"

"Well, we just kissed each other, I think that warrants something to talk about!" Casey nodded fiercely in agreement, still shocked. Olivia hesitated, on the verge of saying something before she changed her mind and said something else entirely. "Look, let just opt right here to forget this ever happened, okay?"

"I… um..." Casey stared to agree, but she couldn't. She couldn't lie to Olivia.

Over the past few weeks, Casey had found herself growing more and more attracted to the detective... and she would never forget that it had not only been Diana with her in her coma- it had been Olivia, too. In her mind, it was Olivia who was really the reason she had woken up. For that alone, Casey owed her her life. But now it wasn't just gratitude anymore. She found herself smiling at Olivia's eyes, her laugh, looking forward for her to get home from work and loving the time she spent with the detective.

Did she love her? Maybe.

Did she want something more than friendship with her? Definitely.

Meanwhile, Olivia was still waiting for her response. "I... I can't, Olivia. I'm not going to lie- I want more kisses like that with you, Olivia. I, um... I want to explore something you, to... to kiss you again, to..." she trailed off, unsure of what to say. When Olivia continued to stare at her, shocked, Casey said softly, "Liv, if you don't feel the same way, I totally understand, and we never have to bring it up again..."

When Olivia still didn't respond, Casey bit her lip in shame and turned her back to the detective. "Please, Olivia. Just go. It's okay. I won't bring it up again. I promise."

By the time Olivia's vocal chords were working again, Casey had gone back to her bedroom, in hopes that the detective would leave. Olivia walked quietly towards that back, her heart breaking as she heard the ADA crying softly from within her room. Olivia tried the door, but it was locked.

"Casey, honey?"

There was no reply for a second, then Casey snapped, "Go away, Olivia!"

"Please, Case... come out and talk to me... please?"

After a moment, the door opened to reveal Casey, her expression so desolate and hurt that Olivia could have kicked herself. Casey hissed, "Olivia, just go home and leave me alone. I'll be fine." Casey was about to close the door, so Olivia snagged what might be the only chance she would get- she grabbed Casey by the wrist and kissed her again.

Once she pulled apart, Casey remained stock still, staring at her in shock. "L... Liv?" she finally managed to stammer.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything before, Casey... I was too surprised. But, I- I do want this. I want... us. To be a couple. I want... I want _you_."

Casey frowned, not daring to believe it. "And you're not saying this just to make me feel better? You actually mean it?"

Olivia smiled as she leaned forward and murmured, "What do you think?" before gently kissing Casey again.

To those of you who may be wondering what was up with Diana in Casey coma, that was based off a personal experience a friend told me. She asked me not to go into any details, so I won't, but there you go.

Well, this was kind of a rush job, but whatever. Review please! And I promise, Casey and Olivia, I'll be back to write more CO cuteness! I WILL NEVER FORSAKE YOU! I LOVE YOU!

…well, ignoring my sick obsession… please review and I will love you forever. Goodbye SVU! *starts crying*


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